PRESS DIGEST - Wall Street Journal - Sept 5

Sept 5 (Reuters) - The following were the top stories in The Wall Street Journal on Friday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

* Senator John McCain seized the Republican nomination he has long sought by vowing to cross partisan divides. The move is designed to help reclaim his image as a reformer at a time when his maverick reputation has been questioned.

* The Iraqi government is seeking to buy 36 advanced F-16 fighters from the U.S., a move that could help reduce its reliance on U.S. air power, while creating a concern for its neighbors.

* Dell Inc DELL.O has approached contract computer manufacturers with offers to sell its factories world-wide, as the PC giant overhauls a production model that is no longer competitive.

* Atticus Capital executives said that speculation sweeping the market that the large hedge fund is liquidating its positions and closing down is not accurate.

* Pacific Investment Management Co, the manager of the world's biggest bond fund, named Mohamed El-Erian as sole chief executive officer of the investment firm, which has seen strong returns this year.

* Boeing Co (BA.N) and its machinists union returned to the bargaining table with a two-day window to avoid a strike, but face the challenge of overcoming deeply entrenched negotiating positions.

* General Electric Co (GE.N) agreed to sell its warranty-management-group business to Assurant Inc (AIZ.N) for $140 million.

* A former Halliburton Co (HAL.N) executive at the center of a bribery probe into the LNG construction industry had a central role in projects outside Nigeria, court documents show.

* Asif Ali Zardari is expected to secure the presidency in Pakistan elections Saturday, but a victory won't put to rest concerns about his past. Zardari is known as a polo-loving playboy who tainted the governments of his wife, Benazir Bhutto, with corruption scandals that landed him in jail.